Apparatus for filling multicompartment containers



Oct. 27, 1931. N M HOPKlNs 1,828,865

APPARATUS FOR FILLING MULTIGOMPARTMENT CONTAINERS Original Filed Feb. 20, 1925 E "Illy 'n l INVENToR,

A TTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 2.7, `17931 iiioitnon HorxIN's,

oF NEW YORK, N. Y AslsrGNoR, BY MnsNE ASSIGNMENTS, To GiLMoN'r PRODUCTS conroaa'rroN APPARATUS FOR FILLING MULTICMPARTMEN T 'CONTAINERS Oiig'inal appllcation'iled February yiw,V 1923, Serial No. 620,284. VDivided and this application led September 22, 1928.

This invention relates to improvements in methods of and apparatus .for assemblingand filling.l multi-compartment containers and with reference to its more particular features, it .relates toimprovements in methods andr apparatus for assembling and filling multi-compartment collapsible tubes Wherein apluralityoiconcentrically arrangedcollapsible tubes-are pi'ovided.V

.f It isa generalobject of the invention to provide an improvedapparatus which is cajpablefo assisting inrcarrying out an improved procedure for the more eiiicient filling. oi:` ymulti-compartment ycontainers with .a plurality of `diiei-ent substances .which are preferably maintained in isolated condition `inthe container. i n A further and more particular object of theinvention is the provision of an improved apparatus for assembling and filling multicompartment containers and which includes an improved arrangement for supporting one of the` containers and preventing its col-` lapse, Wliile itis inserted into another container which may bepartially filled With a substance. l

A further object is to. provide an improved .method of assembling and filling multi-compartment ycontainers with .paste or similar material, which method can be simply carried out by means ot'simple apparatus.A

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improvedmethod of yfilling multi-compartment lcollapsible `containers Which includes filling one of the containers by inserting the material thereinto through -Other objects of vthe invention Will'be in part pointed outlin the following detailed description'of certaink illustrativel but pre- .erred embodiment of the invention and will be in part obvious in connection with l said description.

y The inventionaccordingly comprisesthe several steps and the relation and order of vone orl more lof such lsteps Withi respect to each ofthe others, and the .apparatus em bodyingfeatures of construction, combinations ofzeleinents Aand arrangement of parts whichare adapted to effect-suchsteps, all as Serial No. 307,763.

eneinp'lified in the followin'gdetailed disclon sure, and the scope of the application of had to theV following detailed disclosure and Y to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FigureY 1 is a partially diagranmiatic view of an apparatus embodying the invention, the parts being in section for clearness of disclosure; l.

Fig.` 2 is a central sectional view of amod iiied form of one of the lmandrels for sup-V porting the inner collapsibletube;`

Fig. 3 illustrates a modiiiedprocedure for lillng a multi-compartment collapsible tube; an

Fig. 4 illustrates a still further modified form' of procedure for illinga multi-compartment collapsible tube. Y

Since the subject matter of this application is disclosed yin applicants prior tiled peiidiiigapplicatioii formethod of filling bicompartment collapsible tubes, Serial Numi ber`620,284 liled liebru'ary 20, 1923, Athe pres,-

ent application is adivisionof the prior liled application. y

lteeriing more particularly to the drawings or a detailed disclosure of the embodi- .and carried by the sprocket chain 13. There may be as many of these holders 14 as desired, depending upon thesize and capacity of the apparatus. y

rlhe apparatus disclosed is designed fory the assembling and filling of bi-compartmeiit collapsibletubes,xwhich may include the outer collapsible tube ypart 15 andthe inner collapsible tubel part 16. The holders 14 are adaptedy for the i support of the Vouterr tube vpart 15,y While the inner tubepart 16 is vinf serted directly through the bottom of the AVouter tube part by operation ofthe apparatus asV more fully described below.

The apparatus may be provided with a lilling head 17 and this head is provided With a illing nozzle 18 communicating'with a filling tube 19 to Which-the InateriaLmay befed as, for example, through a flexible piper.

leading from a reservoir or other source of supply. rillie filling nozzle 18 is adaptedI to enter and partially iill each of' the outer collapsible tubes-15 as they. are carried` by the conveyor underneath said nozzle in a manner which will; be understood in the art.. Theamount of paste or other material; delivered to each tube 15 Will ordinarily be governed by mechanism carried by the apparatus.

VAs. sbown,` the b'lling head. 17 may also carry a mandrelorplunger 21 spaced aixed distance from# the illing nozzle 18 correspending` to the. spacing of the holdersV 14.

. rlhis` mandrel 21. provides. a support l'or the smaller inner tubes 16, and, is proportioned enter the inner tubes andW-hich communicates with aflexiblesupplytubef24- whichmay i lead to a1reser-voir or other source of supply,

diterent from that to which the `ieX-ibletnbe V20:.l`eads. Itwill be -understoedlthat the -filling mechanism for the inner tubes may beregulated so `as to insert a predetermined amount of matorialintothe inner tubeso as to fill it. toA a predeterminedv height Grdinarily, Whenthe two materials are thusfinscrted respectively into the outer and inner tubes and the tubes. are assembled as. described,` both tubesn'ill belillednearly full, buttsuiiicient Vtube material` Will be left extending above *the tube contents-sojthat the tube Walls can be readily rolled up by the usual `mechanism andthe assembleddouble tube: thus closed.

It will be clear from the abovedisclosure that, in the operation of the present apparatus, the nozzle 1S will be causedtoenter the successive outer tubes l'supported byy the holders lll'as the latter are moved'forwardly by the conveyor.` The nozzle is then operated to deposit in eachouter tube a` predetermined amount of paste or other material; the respective tubes ordinarily being thus about 40% filled. i

outer tube.

gazeuses The inner tubes lr6 formed substantially as shown in F ig. l may be slipped on the mandrel or plunger 21 by hand or by suitable apparatus (not shown), the neck 25 of the tune being disposed downwardly, as, shown. lt. will be understood thatthe mandnelanay be shpdand proportioned to lit rather snugly within the inner tube so as to support 'the latterand prevent its collapse or` deformation when itis-being inserted into the paste or. other material. already inserted into the y inthe construction disclosedthe,.1nandrel 23ras it descendt` with the inner tube carried thereby centers and accurately positions the respective tubes inside; thei outer: tubes 15. ls'oraiding in. centering` the two" tubes;A and maintaining themiin Aposition,theiinner and outer. tubes Ymay. be formed Witlrcomplemanf tary, formations :1s-morel fullyA described. be.: lowV andshown in, Eig. 2:, Whenthaoutel' andi inner. tubes. havel been; assembled; as de: scribed; the; conveyor,A- carried, the. b; c om partment assembled; tube underneatlr the rilling -head22xandits iilling nozzle 2,.which latter thenreadily enterstheg inner tube, 16.. l'aste on other material; which. isordinarily differenti frointhatfinsertedanthe outerstube, wall' thus. be y insertedf throughthe nozzle. 23 into. the innen tubeV to fills tbel salmeA toi. the desined; predetermined: amount; Ther adj a: cent ends of the tube constitutingthexbottom of the" bi-oompartment collapsiblev tube .Will then. be 'rolledi together. or.y otherwisel sealed in. any preferredmannenl According tothe modifiedlormof. the inL ventiionv shown in Fig-e 2, the; mandrel 26 corresponding tothe i mandrel 21, above de@ scribed, isprovided: at vitsleading. end Withfa depending pin or projection 27. relatively positioned so as to enter the neclfor.v nozzle 25ct the innerY tubefl. Inthis manner, the said neck. i's-` maintained inl accurately. cen*- teredi positioni andithe extension 271 prevents the paste in the outertllbe frombeingforced backwardly.f into the opening of the: neck` as the mandrell and inneivtubef4 descend'. intowthe paste containedintheiouter tube. The neck 25. preferably descends. into. thel internal cavity 28 formed' in thel neckV off the'- outer tube. The :neck: ofthe1 outerV tube may also be formed adjacent said cavityf28 with an annular shoulder. or seat. 29Lonto-which fits Vthe supportsO carried adjacentrthe neclof the` inner: tube. .TheseV1 supports.. may bein the form i of radi alf spaced# armsv or` projections i According to the disclosure otFig.l 3,*a-.bicompartment collapsibleV tube of the nature hereinbefore `described maybe filled byrmeans of' al modified procedure. AsV shown, this tubeina-y'comprise an'innertube 31, andfan outer tubeV 32v may bey concentricallyf..y assembled with thef centering' arms 381 engaging the shouldersv 34v in. amanner similar` to tube, the cap 35' cap 37.

. that described in ttnaetttm with Fig. 2. In carrying out the procedure of filling this partiallyunscrewed as shown so as to provide/a passage 36 around the end of the nozzleof the inner tube. n of a given nature is then filled down through the inner tube 31 by any suitable means as, for example, by means of the filling nozzle 23.

After a predetermined amount of material y has thus passed down into the inner tube and out through its nozzle and through the passageway 36 into the inside of the outer tube, then a material which may be of a-different i nature is inserted into the inner tube either through the same filling nozzle 23 or through a different nozzle as may be desired. Part or all of the first material may be displaced from the inner tube into the outer by insertion into the inner tube of the second material. It will be understood that .theV first kind of material will preferablybe entirely forced and displaced from'the inner tube as describedk whereby, when the *filling` of the tube is completed, the outer compartment vwill contain only the first material and the inner compartment will contain only the second material. compartment tube is collapsed the two different materials will be extruded together throughthe neck or nozzle.

Inthe further modified form of the invention shown in Fig. y4, which is generally similar to that described in connection with that of Fig. 3, but in this case the cap `37 is left screwed up into place on the outer tube, while the inner tube is lifted somewhat from its final -position in the outer tube. Thisdisplacement of the inner tube may be either accomplished by hand or by a suitable means not shown, so as to provide a passage 38 between theend of the inner ktube neck and the While this passage exists the material is fed down through the inner tube, throughV the neck thereof, and through said passage 3S into the inside of the outer tube.

In this manner a predetermined amount ofy material of a given nature may be inserted into the outer tube, whereupon a second materialV of a different naturemay be inserted into the inner tube. Y l

It will be understood that asv described in connection withFig. 3, the first material may be entirely forced from the inner tube, and it may be `displaced therefrom by insertion of the second material so that the inner tube contains only the second material when the filling f operation is completed. The material may in `this case as in that previously described be inserted into the inner tube in any desired manner. t

Since certain changes in carrying out the v above process and in the constructions set forth, which embody the invention may beV made without departing from its scope.,it is of the outer tube may be Paste or material Thereafter when the bi-k ing drawing shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

It is also to be understood that the following claims are intended to cover all of the generic and specific featuresof the invention herein described, and all statements of the. scope of the invention which, as a matter of language, kmight be said to fall therebetween.

Having described my. invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is p 1. The process of filling material into a multi-compartinent kcollapsible tube including an inner collapsible container and an outer collapsible container which includes temporarily providing said inner container with a rigid core member while separated'from said kouter container; partially filling toa pre-- ing saidcore from said inner container; and

filling said inner container.

2. The process of filling material into a .multi-compartment collapsible tube including an inner container and an outer containery whichl includes temporarily providingy said inner container with a rigid core having a centering member while separated from said outer container; partially filling to a predetermined degree said outer container; inserting into and centering in said partially filled outer container and in the contents thereof said innercontainer and its temporary rigid core; withdrawing said core from said inner container; and filling said inner container.

, 3. In an apparatus for filling bi-compartment collapsible tubes comprising inner and outer containers the combination of a holding means for the outer containers;'a mandrel core adapted to receive said inner containers and to insert them intov said outer` containers;

a filling means orthe outer containers; a filling means vfor the ,innerV containers; and means for moving said inner and outer containers into registry with their respective fillingr means.

4. In anapparatus for filling .bi-compart ment collapsible tubes including inner and outer containers the combination of a holding Vmeans for the outer containers; a mandrelV core provided with a depending projection `adapted to receive said inner containers and to insert them into said outer containers; a filling means for the outer containers; a filling means for the inner containers; and

means for moving said inner and outer containers into registry with their respective filling means. y ,i

Inl testimony whereof I affix my signature.

NEVIL MONROE HOPKINS. 

